TMNT Advent Calender
by 5DancingDorks
Summary: 25 Days of Turtles. I guess. Collection of Christmas-themed oneshots.
1. Snowing

**Author's Note: I remember there being an advent calendar in the Tumblr part of this fandom last year, and since I was still new to this fandom at that time and had NO clue what was going on, I never joined it. I don't know if anyone's doing it again this year, but I thought I'd just go for it anyway. So here's a nice little collection of one-shots. I hope you enjoy, and I'd love to hear reviews!**

Leo shivered. Trench coats may make great disguises, but they don't offer much in terms of warmth. At least not the thin, cheap one from the lost-and-found the he wore now. The scarf and mittens-both gifts from April-did help a bit, but he needed to get back home. Hopefully, Donnie had their heater working again.

The mutant stood up from the park bench and began to make his way through Central Park in search of the nearest manhole cover. He had left home in order to get some Christmas shopping done. After all, this was the first time he would be able to get his family brand new gifts instead of the stuff he found in the gutters while exploring. He had managed to find a few cheap tools for Donnie, but with the holiday so close now, most of the stores were being left almost empty. And those that weren't has started to get a little suspicious of the nervous green man in the trenchcoat browsing their items.

'_Gotta keep a low profile.' _he thought. Just like Master Splinter always said.

Another shiver passed through his body. He tightened the coat's belt around his waist and quickened his pace.

The sky was pitch black, but luckily the lights from the restless city provided enough illumination for him to see the ground clearly. Leonardo stopped for just a moment to admire the tiny twinkling dots. Some zoomed pass and some flickered and some stayed perfectly still, all creating a vivid and beautiful design. He sighed contentedly, and the slightest smile crept onto his face. Despite the crazies that swarmed it, he really did love this city.

He gasped. It felt like a pin had pricked his toe. He stared down to his toes. A few drops of water had fallen to the ground. Rain?

The turtle looked up, and his jaw dropped. Small white dots fell from the sky. The light of the city reflected off of them, making them shine. It was like the stars, blocked out by the city, had decided to fall to the earth.

Leonardo held out a hand and allowed some of the stars to land on his fingertips. The cold stung his nerves, but he didn't mind. He was almost mesmerized by the floating flakes, and soon, though he shook and shivered and his breath became clouds, he could only stand there and watch as the snow slowly piled around him.

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.


	2. Candy Canes

April stepped into the lair. There was static on the television and the pinball machine hummed quietly, but otherwise, there was silence. Master Splinter always meditated at this time of day, so usually the boys would be in the living room. Where could they have gone?

The lair was much warmer than the rest of the sewers (or the rest of the city), so April abandoned her winter gear at the turnstiles. She walked deeper into the home until she stood in the center of the room. She rustled the plastic bag of gifts she held in her hand and called out, "Hello? Any-turtle home?"

"They're all sleeping," a gruff and tired voice above her mumbled. April looked up to see Raphael laying at the top of the stairs near the grate, his companion Spike resting on his chipped plastron.

"Sleeping?" April tilted her head in confusion. "It's only 1 in the afternoon,"

Raph sat up, careful not to let Spike fall. He held the box turtle in his arms like a baby, and looked down to April with eyes only half-awake. "It's winter. Turtles sleep a lot in the winter," He yawned through a chuckle. "You're almost as nerdy as Donnie. I would've thought you'd do some research,"

She smirked. "Turtles hibernate. But you seem perfectly awake right now. Guess that human side of you is fighting back," April settled down on one of the benches and began to rustle through the bags. "Now come down here. I brought sweets,"

The turtle stretched, and decided to give in. Hugging Spike to his chest, he leapt down from the stairs and landed with a thud. He stood up shakily, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and finally sat down next to the redhead. His pet took his normal spot on the ninja's shoulder and the two examined the gifts from their friend.

She held up a colorful box of bright plastic-looking canes. The girl grinned. "Ever had one of these?"

He stared at them. "Candy Canes" was written in bold, swirly letters on the front. Raph had seen them plenty of times in the Christmas specials on television, but he never "had" one. "Aren't those supposed to go on the tree?" he questioned, one brow raised.

April began to open up the cardboard and pull out the plastic tray. The distinct scent of mint hit Raphael's nostrils instantly. "You can, but mainly they're for eating," She handed one to him and grabbed another for herself. "Go on!" She stuck the dull hooked end of hers into her mouth. "Try it!"

The ninja eyed the supposed treat. He and the turtle sitting on his shoulder glanced at one another. Eventually, Raph shrugged, and bit off a chunk. He wasn't expecting the candy to be so hard, and a pained look crept onto his face as he felt a sharpened point cut into his cheek. April stared at him for a moment. "…Okay, probably should've warned you about that one. You're meant to suck on them,"

He spit out the chunk onto the floor carelessly. "Gee, thanks," he grumbled. After waiting a few seconds for the pain to numb, he stuck the small remaining piece into his mouth and sucked. It tasted fresh and sweet, and the scent had given away the overwhelming minty flavor. Not that that was bad. In fact, it was delicious.

"Yeah, they're pretty alright," His voice was neutral, but he smiled, and went for another one. As did April.

…

The purple-masked turtle stepped out of his room, yawning and rubbing his eyes. It was about 3 in the afternoon, and it was time for him to get back to work on his inventions, but instincts had taken over quite recently and he wanted nothing more than to sleep through the cold months. Sadly, however, that was not an option.

Sleepily, he made his way to the kitchen and made a quick cup of coffee. _'Thank God for instant.' _he thought. As he stirred the sugar into the steaming beverage, he walked back out to head towards the garage, but stopped and observed the situation before him with much confusion.

Raphael stood on top of the couch. In both hands he held red-and-white sticks sharpened to potentially deadly perfection. Across the room, April stood with hair loose and messy. In her hand she held another one of these strange things like it were a sword_. _"_En guarde!_" the girl shouted, and immediately the two teenagers ran at one another, flailing the makeshift weapons like madmen.

Donnie shook his head and took a long swig of his caffeinated drink.


	3. Mistletoe

"You sure you're warm enough, there?" April was already shivering. She couldn't image how the coldblooded Donatello must feel, even under all those layers of hoodies.

"Totally fine!" he assured through grinning but gritted teeth. "The sewers used to get pretty bad before I figured out how to build a heating system. This is nothing!"

April turned back to face the harbor, though her eyes still gazed to the side. When Donnie assumed she was no longer paying him attention, he shook the frost and snow from his body and rubbed his gloved hands together, hoping to gain some warmth from the friction. She rolled her eyes. He was almost as stubborn as she was. But as long as he wasn't about to fall down and die, she could only hope he was really okay.

He took a couple more steps forward until he stood at her side, gazing out at the waves with her. They stood at the edge of the snow-covered park, staring out towards Ellis Island and the bluish statue in the distance. On their way here, they had passed God knows how many Christmas parties. Adults blasted Christmas carols and the children, most likely up way past their bedtime, ran around screaming with joy. Even now, in the almost quiet, a few happy drunks passed by them, singing "Santa Baby" merrily as they wandered back to their apartments in the cold. "So, you humans really get this excited about Christmas?" Donnie asked as he watched the drunks disappear in the trees. "I thought it was just on television."

April laughed. "No, it's always like this. It's a beautiful holiday. The whole idea of giving just to give and coming together despite differences… Like, that's just really beautiful. And the whole snow-and-pretty-lights-and-colors thing isn't too bad either." She sighed, content. "Personally, I can't blame anyone for getting so excited."

Donnie stared at the girl. She had suddenly became entranced by the gleaming lights from the boats that made up for the missing starlight in the jet black sky. The girl that had come to mean so much to him. When they first met, it really had been just dumb puppy love. She was a pretty girl in trouble, and he wanted to help her. And for the first few weeks that she was in his life, that's what it continued to be. But as more time passed, and as she grew closer to all of them, and soon became a part of their family, he came to realize how incredible she truly was.

She was so determined. She didn't just want to get to the bottom of a situation; she _needed _to, and nothing would stop her. Even though the turtles have had to come rescue her on more than one occasion, she was still smart and strong and, for the most part, independent. But yet she was so caring and kind and good-hearted. Donatello had completely fallen head over heels for this girl.

And he felt that now was as good a time as ever to say so.

"Uh… April?" He could already feel a cold blush rising to his cheeks, and his hands began to shake.

The redhead met his eyes; icy blue to chocolate brown.

He turned his whole body to really face her, and she did the same.

"We've known each other for a while now, right?" She immediately got this… _look _on her face. Donnie knew he was doomed. He blew it. He blew it he blew it he blew it he blew it…

"Yeah." she said simply. _'…Oh.'_ he thought.

"Well, um…" His toes curled, crunching into the snow beneath them, and he fiddled with his fingers and suddenly found her boots extremely fascinating. "April, there is just… something I've been wanting to tell you for a very long time now and it just… I really don't want to mess anything up but it's sort of one of those things where it feels like it just needs to be said or else something's just going to blow up and y-" He was interrupted by two delicate fingers pressing his lips together, muffling any sound that dared to come out.

"Donatello." Her face was serious, but calm and gentle. "You're one of my best friends in this whole stupid, crazy world. You can tell me anything." There was the slightest hint of a smile on her face, and her hand crept over to rest on his cheek. Best friend. At least if this failed, he had a nice thing to fall back on. He placed a heavy hand over hers, relishing in her warmth.

"April." He started again. "I… I really care about you. A lot. You're smart and you're strong and you're nice and… You're really, _really_ pretty." Heat rose to her cheeks, but she let him continue. He could feel his heart pounding faster and faster in his chest. His hand tightened around hers, hoping that this wouldn't all end in complete and utter disaster. "And…" There was a lump in his throat. "I'm… I think I love you."

She pulled her hand away. Instantly, he felt a horrible sting in his heart. He's messed it all up. He shouldn't have ever said anything. She hates him now. She'll never want to see or speak to him again. He watched in despair as her hand reached into her pocket and pulled out… a bunch of leaves?

"I picked this up at the store earlier. I was going to bring it to the lair… Do you know about this tradition?" she asked as she held out the plant for him to see. He examined the tiny branches and white berries tied together with a sparkling red bow, and recognized it to be mistletoe.

"American Mistletoe. _Viscum album_. It's tradition that when two people stand underneath it, they… Oh."

As he spoke, she had held the plant up over their heads. She smirked.

His heart was pounding now, and he stood frozen in place. He wondered how red his cheeks were.

April stood on the tips of her toes, her free hand resting on the turtle's chest. She leaned in, eyes slowly closing, and pressed her lips against his beak. He wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Instead, his eyes shut, and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her deeper into the kiss. She breathed a chuckle and allowed her own hands to fall onto his shoulders.

After what felt like a wonderful eternity, they decided to break the kiss at last. Donnie touched his forehead to hers, and their eyes locked once more.

"I love you too, Don." She whispered. "Merry Christmas."


	4. Scarves

Their bedtime was more than 3 hours ago. Father would be furious. Father always told them they weren't allowed to walk around the sewers. Not until their 10th birthday, two years from now, at _least. _

But for some reason, none of this mattered to Leonardo.

What did matter was the fact that the sun had sunk beneath the city, thus, the sewers were pitch black. And, it being the middle of winter, it was also freezing cold. Splinter had given his sons thick sweaters and scarves to help keep warm through these months, but they could only help so much. Leo shivered as he stepped lightly through the tunnels. Splinter was currently training them to be able to sense movement and space around them. Though this did help, he still found himself feeling around the walls, and jumping back in horror whenever his toes met a puddle.

"Mikey?" he shouted again. It was probably the thousandth time this hour. His little brother just _had _to go look around the sewers. He just _had _to run off all by himself when Leo turned his back. The blue-masked turtle blamed himself. He knew how easily distracted his brother was, and he should've kept a closer eye on him. But he had to focus. He was lost, and so was Mikey. And they had to find each other.

"Mikey, come on! We have to go home! Father must be worried!" He shouted his name, over and over, as he traveled deeper into the maze of tunnels and raw sewage.

Another hour passed. And another. It was late, and he was tired. His legs hurt, and he was cold and scared and hungry. And he wanted to give up, lay down, and hope for the best. But as he was just about to sink to his knees, defeated, there was a dim light ahead, and a bundle of green wrapped in orange. From a sewer grate above, a street light shone down onto a shaky Michelangelo.

Leonardo sprinted to his brother and practically fell onto him, hugging him close. "Mikey! I've been looking for you for hours!"

Then, it hit him. He and his brothers were usually cold, but his baby brother felt as if he'd freeze over any second. He stared up at him with sad blue eyes, and he noticed the scared tears that stained his mask.

Leonardo offered him a reassuring smile, and took off his scarf. He tied it to the end of Mikey's, and wrapped it around until his baby brother's face was completely covered, except for his eyes.

The older turtle sat next to his brother and hugged him closer. "I don't know the way back home," he confessed. "Let's just… wait here for Father. He'll come,"

The younger, freckled child cuddled close to his brother in hopes of finding some kind of warmth. The two sat in silence, scared and cold, and waiting for their father to take them home.

…

Raphael and Donatello were asleep in their room, their door locked to keep them from wandering off into the tunnels while Splinter searched for the mischievous sons who had done just that. He carried a candle in his hand, and it slowly burned away, providing just enough light in the darkness. He had been searching for hours now. Luckily, their scent was strong, but it still took all of his strength to keep calm. They had deliberately disobeyed him, and now were lost and all alone.

A huge weight lifted off his shoulders as, at last, he spotted them. They sat beneath a sewer grate, fast asleep, huddled close together. He scooped them up in his arms and wrapped them in the blanket he carried over his shoulder. The rat held them close to his chest as he made his way back home. As he walked, he noticed the blue scarf wrapped around his youngest son, and he smiled.

**Author's Note: I'm going to admit that I had a very hard time writing this one, so I apologize for the poor quality of this chapter. I promise the next one will be better.**


	5. Christmas Tree

**Author's Note: Sorry I'm so behind on this. In addition to some life stuff (school, personal projects, etc.), I've also had terrible writer's block. So, the next few chapters are pretty short, I'm afraid. I tried making them longer, but then before I knew it I was days behind on this calendar. I'll catch up as quickly as I can and get back on the schedule I had planned. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!**

Michelangelo, holding his knees to his chest, rolled out of his bedroom and into the lair, absolutely exhausted from a long night of comic book induced nightmares. Careless of what surrounded him, he bumped into the familiar redhead. He fell onto his shell and laid there, staring at the ceiling. "Hey, April," he mumbled, tiredly.

"Uh… Hey, Mikey. Good morning."

The freckled turtle, who had been too lazy to put his mask on that morning, rolled onto his side and stared at what the girl had been working on in the middle of the lair, just next to the television he had planned to watch in hopes of it waking him up. She knelt down by a tiny plastic almost-cone-shaped green thing. It was about the size of Metalhead, with branches covered in shiny balls and little lights. His brain soon recognized it to be a tree, but the decorations he still couldn't understand. He let out a confused moan, hoping for an explanation to this madness.

April understood. "Well, I was hoping to surprise you guys before you all woke up but… It's a Christmas tree."

Another confused moan.

"Around this time of year, for some people at least, it's tradition to put this kind of tree up in your house and decorate it with ornaments and lights and a star or angel on top. My dad and I do it every year, and I wanted to share it with you guys," She paused. "…Are you awake?"

A moan of assurance that, yes, he was in fact awake. Probably listening, too.

"Okay. So, on Christmas Eve, you put a bunch of presents under the tree. Wait… do you guys celebrate Christmas?"

He managed to nod.

She sighed, relieved. "Good. This would have been a bit awkward otherwise. But you've never had a Christmas tree in the lair?"

He managed to shake his head.

"So… Do you like it?"

He gave her a thumbs up, and a weak but sincere smile.

She laughed. "And do you think the others will?"

His thumb was still up, and he now kicked his legs in excitement before rolling over and falling in her lap. The youngest turtle wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle squeeze. Mikey intended for this hug to be much stronger, but he needed more sleep before he could do so. As he thought about this, he fell asleep in her lap, snoring quietly. April smiled down on him, patting him on the head. "Thanks, Mikey."

Paying no mind to the turtle curled up around her, she opened up a bag of tinsel and continued her work.


	6. Eggnog

The turtles stared down into their glasses. The rich stench of eggs and dairy product and various spices hit their nostrils hard. Donatello swirled the strange liquid around in the cup, cringing at the odd and unappetizing drink. Leonardo brought the glass to his lips, then back to the counter, then to his lips, then the counter, over and over again, not being able to decide whether to actually give it a chance. Michelangelo blew into it, attempting to make bubbles since any food or drink not related to pizza simply didn't interest him. Raphael just looked annoyed that the stuff even existed.

April and Master Splinter, however, were both on their third serving.

"You guys really should give it a chance!" April insisted. "New experiences and all, right?"

Splinter savored the cool feeling in his gut, and the spices that still tingled on his tongue. "April is not incorrect," he stated.

"But this stuff looks nasty. The smell isn't pleasant either," Raphael mumbled shortly before receiving a whack on the head from his father's cane.

"April was kind enough to bring this gift down for us to share. I'm disappointed you are not showing proper gratitude," Splinter said, staring into his cup, awaiting the reaction he knew he would receive.

Leonardo couldn't allow himself to disappoint his sensei, and Donatello couldn't deny a gift from Miss O'Neil. Immediately, the two teenagers chugged their drinks. Michelangelo followed suit, wanting to join in the sudden excitement. Donnie shuddered in disgust as he swallowed. It was eggy and thick and left an upset feeling in his gut. He thanked April for bringing it, then quickly headed to his lab to wash the taste away with some coffee. Leo and Mikey, however, found themselves asking for seconds.

April served the two brothers, then looked over at Raph. The two stared each other down, a silent argument being bounced off one another's gaze. Then, April lifted the carton of eggnog off the counter, a sly smirk appearing on her lips. Raphael's hand hovered over his sai.

The redhead jumped up and began a mad chase through the lair, shouting "Try it! Try it!" as the turtle, somehow angry and happy at the same time, shouted "Never!" right back at her.

Until shuriken started being thrown, Splinter decided to enjoy the rest of the eggnog.


	7. Family

Leonardo's eyes blinked slowly open, immediately locking on to the blue glow of the T.V. screen. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around. The lair was dark. So, nighttime. And way too chilly for his taste. So, winter. And Splinter must've been asleep in the dojo. So, no getting in trouble for being up at this hour.

Leo hadn't meant to fall asleep, but it had been a long day of training, followed by a long evening patrol (and a not-so-friendly run in with a few Foot bots) and the movie they had been watching-whatever it was-had been _very_ boring.

A sudden chill, stronger than before, filled the air, and the turtle pulled the blankets back up over his shoulders, and blinked. He didn't remember having a blanket before. He looked down at his feet. He had been wrapped up in Michelangelo's "Planet Battles" blanket. Leo scanned the room for his youngest brother and found him on the floor right next to him. The leader beamed at the sight.

The freckled turtle was shrouded in a soft, thick duvet, with a huge smile stuck on his face. Cuddled up close to him was April, who was curled up next to his shell. April shared a wool blanket with none other than Donatello, whose lanky legs were wrapped around hers and Leo could hear him snoring gently into the girl's hair. The three had made a bed out of pillows and comforters and blankets that ranged from thin and itchy to thick and warm. The only one missing from this pile was Raphael.

Leonardo scanned the room just one more time, and laughed when he saw his younger brother curled up on the other side of the room away from the others. Always such a loner. But the red clad turtle looked perfectly content, snuggled up with his dirty quilt and three stacked pillows and thirty stacked comics at his side.

The eldest turtle sighed and curled back up to rest again. Despite the winter chill that filled the air, he felt a strange warmth, knowing his family was there.

He hoped they wouldn't leave.


	8. Presents

"Yoshi," Tang Shen's brow was raised. She bounced her curious daughter gently on her knee. "Are you sure she's ready for such a gift?"

"Perhaps... not," Hamato Yoshi chuckled. "But…"

The man leaned down next to his wife, who stared up at him with beautiful eyes, so dark yet so full of light. And he stared down at his baby daughter, who smiled back at him. Rosy cheeks and light brown hair and those same beautiful eyes… She was a spitting image of her mother. Carefully, he took the baby from his wife's hold, and clutched her to his chest, never wanting to let go. He held his daughter's gift up for her. "Do you see this?" He flashed it before her, and she stared in wonder at the masterfully crafted metal fan. Their clan symbol decorated it, and a razor sharp blade shone on the edge. "Someday, when you're older, it will be yours," He folded it again, and allowed Miwa's hands, delicate and so unbelievably small, to run over the dull side of it. "I will train you in the art of ninjitsu," he laughed. "Let's hope your mother will let me," He smiled back at Tang Shen, who gave him a playful hit on the shoulder.

His child stared at him. Her face was blank, but her eyes were so full of life and of hope and of dreams. He could sense it.

Tang Shen stood up and stretched before turning off the lights in their room. "Come on, now," she said, tucking herself into bed. "It's late,"

Her husband set aside the fan and laid the child down on her back between them. He got into bed, and looked over to his family. Everything felt so perfect, so right. His highly trained senses didn't even pick up on the footsteps that approached his door.


End file.
